c1: Time Travel, Tragedy
In the world of One Piece, it is the year 1486 in the Sea Circle Calendar, and there are still 12 years before the start of the Great Pirate Era—Roger has yet to reach Laugh Tale, and the seas are ruled by the strongest pirate crews of their time.
Somewhere in the New World, the two pirate ships, the legendary 'Oro Jackson' carrying the Roger Pirates and the colossal 'Moby Dick' carrying the Whitebeard Pirates, have been linked together by sea-hooks and now drift side by side—locked in a standoff between legends.
People on both ships kept rushing towards the other ship with weapons, and a fierce battle broke out on the sea—clashes of Haki echoing across the turbulent waters.
"Newgate, I will definitely win this time!" Roger stood proudly with his hands behind his back in the crowd of people fighting fiercely, and said to Whitebeard with great passion—his laugh echoing with the same confidence that once defied the World Government.
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard gripped his naginata, Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, and laughed thunderously, "Roger, I'm in a very good condition today. You still have time to escape now."
"Run away? Newgate, are you still awake? It doesn't matter, I will wake you up completely today."
As soon as he finished speaking, Roger and Whitebeard rushed towards each other at an astonishing speed at the same time, and the intense aura of Haoshoku Haki wrapped around their weapons began to collide violently in the air—creating shockwaves without even touching.
A strong aura emanated from the two men as the core, spreading out in all directions. Their crew members Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, Kozuki Oden, Marco, and Jozu were already used to this and had cleared a large area for them, otherwise they would have been blown away by their Conqueror's Haki.
After exchanging a move, the two evenly matched men rushed towards each other again determined to test their will and strength without restraint.
Just as the war was about to escalate, before Whitebeard and Roger could clash again, a sudden change occurred—one that even their haki couldn't foresee.
Suddenly, without any warning, the two ships began to shake violently. Everyone was unable to stand steadily and stopped fighting in panic some crew members even clung tightly to the railing to avoid falling overboard.
"Release the hook quickly!" Roger's first mate, the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, was the first to react and shouted quickly—his sharp instincts kicking in faster than anyone else's.
Some quick-witted crew members immediately removed the iron sea-hooks along the ship's edge, which had connected the two ships and prevented them from drifting apart during battle.
Then, the water on the sea surface between the two ships began to swell up, getting higher and higher—gradually forming half a massive sphere of seawater, an unnatural phenomenon that defied Grand Line logic.
After a long time, something strange happened again!
The huge water ball burst like a bubble, and the sea water suddenly poured down to both sides, with a strong white light flashing blinding even those with strong Observation Haki.
When the light gradually faded, everyone on the two pirate ships opened their eyes and looked. What appeared before their eyes was a massive glowing orb of white light, half above sea level and half submerged—its energy pulsing like an ancient force.
The moment Roger saw the ball of light, he seemed to sense something his expression suddenly changed drastically and became extremely grim. Before he could analyze it with his Voice of All Things, the ball of light suddenly soared into the sky, flew rapidly toward the western horizon, and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.
The squeezed seawater also flowed back at this moment, forming a powerful whirlpool current—pulling in nearby debris and shaking both ships.
On the Oro Jackson in the whirlpool, Roger held the railing of the ship tightly with one hand and put his other arm above his forehead to resist the strong wind brought by the ocean current but his eyes were still locked on the direction where the light disappeared, without blinking, and his face remained deathly serious.
When the sea level returned to calm, Roger looked at the direction where the white light ball flew away, frowning and thinking his mind racing faster than ever.
After a while, Roger suddenly grinned and said, "This world is becoming more and more interesting!" his voice carrying both excitement and foreboding, as though fate had just taken a turn even he couldn't predict.
...
The Kingdom of Rafia has been known as the most beautiful country in the West Blue for many years—its architecture, governance, and prosperity rivaling that of even famed islands like Ilusia or Lvneel.
This country is as renowned as the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue. It has always been referred to as the "Eastern Gosia" and is hailed as a model of refined aristocracy and stability among the nations recognized by the World Government.
The king of the Kingdom of Rafia also enjoys a good reputation throughout the world especially for his expansive royal industry network, which has been praised multiple times in the World Economic Journal and covered by Morgans' news agencies.
The newspapers said that the seemingly benevolent King of Rafia promoted industrial development by encouraging his royal relatives to open various factories under the banner of civil employment and national wealth.
These factories could offer a large number of job opportunities for civilians living outside the capital's urban zones especially those barred from noble districts due to class-based restrictions.
Civilians could earn wages by laboring in the factories, and if they performed well, they might even support their entire households though these wages were often taxed or docked for "royal maintenance fees."
The products manufactured by the factory, particularly luxury goods and processed materials, were sold to other World Government nations for profit earning the kingdom a steady flow of Berries and influence.
Part of the profit was claimed to be redistributed as civic subsidies, allegedly compensating the workers and maintaining social order thus forming what appeared to be a virtuous circle.
The industrial policy of the Kingdom of Rafia was widely applauded across affiliated territories.especially by nobles and Celestial Dragon-aligned elites in Mariejois.
In the Royal Flour Factory, Warehouse No. 5, within a dark, damp, and foul-smelling detention cell far from the noble courts and royal press tours.
A little boy, covered in lacerations, dried blood, and in a pitiful state, was curled up in a corner, motionless—not knowing whether he was dead or merely on the verge of it.
At this moment, a brilliant white light shot in through the cracks in the hidden underground room, piercing the darkness and then all of it surged into the boy's frail body.
No one witnessed this miraculous event, but the boy in the corner suddenly twitched—life stirring where none was thought to remain.
"I'm still alive?" A faint voice echoed, and the boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking in confusion, "Where is this?"
The little boy tried to sit up, but a sharp, searing pain wracked his entire frame like his muscles and bones had been shattered and misaligned.
Because the effort to sit was too great, more of his wounds tore open, intensifying the agony with each movement reminding him his body was still broken.
The little boy immediately froze, clenched his teeth, and sucked in a breath of cold air between them which slightly dulled the sense of his body being torn apart.
"Wasn't I swallowed by a giant deep-sea creature? Why am I here?" The little boy was overwhelmed with questions more than he could untangle.
Just as he began piecing together his thoughts, a splitting pain struck his skull, and a rush of unfamiliar memories flooded into the consciousness of Dao Lu Kai fragmented yet overwhelming.
"I've traveled through time? And into the world of One Piece?"
His name was Lu Kai, and he had been a deep-sea biologist based in China.
During his final dive, he had descended to a depth of 13,000 meters where he encountered a leviathan-like creature that dwarfed even Oars or the Sea Kings—its eye alone larger than the submersible.
With a single glance, the colossal beast had struck, devouring both him and his vessel in an instant and his awareness vanished into darkness.
Lu Kai had once believed that nothing could surprise him after witnessing the living titans of the deep but what he discovered next defied even that belief.
Fighting through the pain, Lu Kai moved his left hand and raised it into view only to see a tiny, pale palm. A surge of emotions exploded within him as realization dawned.
The original owner of this body was also named Lu Kai—but he had only been a six-year-old boy.
Little Lu Kai had been born into the high aristocracy of the Kingdom of Rafia in the West Blue, as the eldest son of Marquis Luside—a noble family sanctioned by the World Government.
However, because he had tried to avenge his elder sister who had been brutally killed by assassins acting on the whims of a passing Celestial Dragon—he was branded as disobedient and beaten to death by his own parents.
But fate wasn't done toying with little Lu Kai.
After being tossed off a cliff by the Luside family to erase the scandal, he was broken by branches but miraculously survived his body battered, but intact.
Yet, fate dealt him a second cruel twist.
When he limped out of the forest, hoping his nightmare was over, he was intercepted by soldiers from the nearby royal flour factory and enslaved as an expendable laborer stripped of identity and nobility.
Today, while overexerting himself carrying heavy grain crates, little Lu Kai collapsed the container shattered his leg in the fall.
Deemed useless, he was savagely beaten by the factory guards and thrown into this filthy underground cage to be disposed of like waste.
Lu Kai had thought he'd already known suffering in his previous life but after reliving little Lu Kai's memories, he finally understood the true meaning of tragedy in this world.
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